Tag: crime fiction

The Fatal Farandole is a cozy mystery full of plot twists and small-town secrets. It’s perfect for fans of character-driven crime novels with emotional depth.

A beloved Provençal festival.

A murderous conspiracy.

A bullfighter who knows too much.

When two local chefs are killed within a week, shockwaves ripple through the region’s tight-knit culinary world.
Suspicion lands squarely on baker Julie Cavallo.

As whispers turn to accusations, her eccentric family closes ranks, and her loyal friends rally to her side.

But Julie’s running out of time. Her pastry shop is at risk. Her love life is unraveling. The gendarmes are tracking her every move. Julie can’t afford to wait for the official investigation to uncover the
truth.

Her instincts go into overdrive. Dots connect. Patterns appear…

Can Julie make it through this case, when asking the right questions has already gotten others killed?

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Ana T. Drew is the evil mastermind behind a recent string of murders in the fictional French town of Beldoc. A first-place winner of the Chanticleer MYSTERY & MAYHEM Awards, her books have been
released in several languages, both independently and through traditional houses, including HarperCollins France and Straarup & Co.

When she’s not plotting mysteries, Ana can be found perfecting her low-carb cookie recipes or watching The Rookie to cope with the void left by Castle.

Ana lives in Paris with her husband and their dog, but her heart resides in Provence.

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My thoughts: as the town gears up to celebrate the annual bullfight, and Julie is waiting to see whether her bakery is one of the caterers, a friend is murdered and she finds herself locked in a fridge with her grandmother’s dog and somehow the prime suspect.

Julie and her friends decide to carry out their own investigation, especially as the police seem so focused on her, even after another suspicious death which she can’t possibly be involved in.

As they dig into the lives of the victims, they find a conspiracy, one that someone will kill to keep hidden. Can Julie avoid becoming the next victim?

Clever, funny and enjoyable, this was an entertaining crime read with plenty of twists (and now I really want a pistachio croissant!)

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.

**Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome. Please enter using the Gleam box below. The winner will be selected at random via Gleam from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.**

Every place has its ghosts. Edenscar, a town in the Peak District, has more than most.

17 years ago, its inhabitants were hit by tragedy when a school bus veered off the road and everyone on board drowned.

Everyone, that is, except Joseph Ashe. His miraculous survival has haunted him and the town ever since. Now a Detective Sergeant in the local police, Joe is called to the scene of a brutal and apparently inexplicable crime.

The whole town is spooked, but Joe’s new boss, DI Laurie Bower, more used to inner-city police work, has no time for superstition. She just wants to find the very real killer who has left no trace and apparently had no motive.

Joining forces, Joe and Laurie work to uncover the secrets of Edenscar, both past and present. But when you dig up the dead, expect to get your hands dirty…

Sarah Hilary is the critically-acclaimed author of nine novels. Her debut, Someone Else’s Skin, won the Theakston Crime Novel of the Year 2015 and was also a World Book Night selection, a Richard & Judy Book Club pick and a finalist for both the Silver Falchion and Macavity Awards in the US.

No Other Darkness, the second in her DI Marnie Rome series, was shortlisted for a Barry Award. Sarah is Programme Director for St Hilda’s Crime Fiction Weekend, and cofounder of Ledburied, a crime fiction festival in her home town. Her short stories have won the Fish Criminally Short Histories Prize, the Cheshire Prize for Literature, and the SENSE Prize.

My thoughts: Joe survived the devastating accident that killed his classmates and now everyone in town looks at him differently. It doesn’t help that he once admitted he sees the ghosts of his classmates, especially his best friend.

It’s exhausting for him, being the focus of so much pain and loss, but he never left. And now he’s a detective working with a new DI on a horrific new case that’s bringing his awful experience back to the forefront of the community’s minds.

Can he and Laurie solve the case, and keep the town from falling apart again as Joe becomes the focus of another tragedy?

An intelligent and intriguing case, starting what should be an interesting new series from a writer who understands how to get a reader hooked.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.

A man lies beaten to a pulp in a deserted car park in Maidstone, Kent.

His own brother put him there.

Josh Winters never saw it coming. He trusted his brother Alex. He always has.

Detective Abigail Morton is embedded in a fractured source-handling unit on the Kent
coast. She’s working a dangerous informant operation against the Winters’ criminal gang. Everyone says the brothers are untouchable.

But something is shifting inside the organisation. A crack running through its
foundations – and Abigail is close enough to feel it.

Getting close enough to use it is another matter.

But now she has a way in.
Josh and Alex’s mother, Betsy, is willing to turn on her own sons . . .

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Charlie Gallagher was a serving UK police officer for thirteen years. During that time
he had many roles — starting as a front-line response officer, he became a member of a specialist tactical team and finally a detective investigating serious offences. Charlie left to concentrate on writing full time.

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My thoughts: When Betsy, mother of the Winter brothers contacts the police, willing to give them information on her sons’ criminal activities, the police are pleased. She’s able to overhear all sorts of things as her boys hold meetings in her kitchen.

Her handler Abigail is careful, aware that while Betsy seems determined to put her sons’ away, she’s protective of her grandson Max, who might be more involved in her father and uncle’s business than his grandmother is willing to believe.

While Betsy’s information does help a little, the police need more to go on to follow up and as the end of the year approaches, Abigail and her partner Vince have found a few things out that might put a crimp in Betsy’s plan and that of her sons’.

There’s some great twists in this story about a family failing apart as they become embroiled in crime and the police’s attempts to stop them.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.

I only survived high school because of my best friend Mia. Me and her, together
against the world. No matter what.

The moment I graduated, I left town forever — and erased the girl I used to be. New name. New body. New life. Even my own mom wouldn’t recognize me now.
But two years later I’m back in Devil’s Paradise — the place I swore I’d never return to.

Because Mia is missing.

Her last letter says she was being watched. Followed. Hunted.

So here I am. Mia needs me. Me and her — we’ve always saved each other. But no
one can know my real name isn’t Charlie, it’s Reagan. That I used to be one of them.
Because if they find out who I really am, it’s not just Mia’s life on the line . . . it’s
mine too.

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Kaelin Wennerberg was born and raised in a small town in Montana, US. Since a very
young age she has dreamed of becoming an author and writing for a living. It took her four years to write her debut novel, “The Jameson Cabin”. When not writing she enjoys spending time with her fiancé, friends and family or reading any horror/thriller novel that she can find.

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My thoughts: What starts out as a true crime/thriller style story takes a more horrific twist as Charlie discovers the truth behind the disappearance not only of her own best friend, Mia, but a series of young women going back decades.

Having escaped her home town for college and total reinvention, the last thing she wants is to go back, but the letters she receives from Mia, letters written over the months they’ve been apart, and then the sudden disappearance of her friend, mean she feels she must return.

But getting too close to the mayor and his inner circle, to the dark and rotten secrets at the heart of the town, put her in danger.

And then there’s Jaymes, Mia’s high school boyfriend and Charlie’s forever crush. He wants to help find Mia, and maybe some answers about his twin sister’s disappearance too. She vanished not long after graduation and he’s never really recovered. Could this be a way to get closure or will the truth destroy the fragile friendship he and Charlie build?

There’s a lot going on, so many secrets and some sheer craziness too as Charlie tries to find her way to the truth, even as she attempts to keep her own secrets close. But it’s really enjoyable and I liked Charlie, even if she isn’t who she appears to be.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.

Detective Mike Nash thought that moving back to Yorkshire from London would
give him a quieter life. Little did he know . . .

Welcome to Stark Ghyll. A bleak ravine that cuts across the Yorkshire moors like a
scar. Folk call this place the Valley of Death. And it’s about to live up to its name.
A woman’s body is found, waist-deep in the treacherous murk. She’s barely cold,
but the crows have already taken her eyes.

One look at her ruined face, and Detective Mike Nash realizes: this woman’s death was no accident. It was murder.

The marsh has swallowed every trace of her killer. But not the victim’s identity.
A positive ID soon follows, but the victim’s name only leads to more questions.

Longstanding misper Vicky Lambert.

Mike’s been searching for Vicky for twenty long years.
Ever since the first time she was murdered …

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Bill Kitson was born in Bradford, West Yorkshire. His father, a wool merchant, was a fan of crime books giving Bill access to his diverse thriller collection from a young age.

Educated at Ashville College, Bill worked in the family business before spending over thirty years as a bank executive. A keen cricketer and sportsman, the highlight of his career came when he umpired a one-day international at Lords.

He and his wife now live in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, where he writes crime,
romance, and general fiction. Bill’s interests include Cricket, Crime, Crete, Cookery, Cryptic crosswords – and also Alliteration.

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My thoughts: I do enjoy this series, and this was a very good addition, with conspiracies and secrets to be found.

The discovery of human remains at an archaeological dig isn’t always one for the police, but these bodies are. The bones have bullet wounds, something the settlement’s ancient inhabitants wouldn’t have.

The DNA of one of the bodies leads the police to a missing person case from twenty years before. And then more bodies turn up – is there a connection between the first two and the more recent death of a woman who supposedly died two decades ago?

Mike and his team find lies, embezzlement, murder and a long lost love story as they hunt for answers.

There’s also a secondary case involving local drug dealers, Amazon deliveries and a connection to the murders that at first leads them astray.

It’s a cracking read and fiendish enough with long reaching roots, to satisfy any fan of conspiracies as well as murder.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.

A cold case reignites. A deadly threat resurfaces. And Becky White is caught in the crossfire.

When a decades-old betrayal comes back to haunt her, private investigator Becky White is drawn into a dangerous web of lies, revenge, and murder. As tensions boil over in Manchester’s criminal underworld, Becky and her team at the White Knight Detective Agency must race to uncover the truth—before it’s too late.

Meanwhile, former partner Finn is battling enemies from without and secrets from within. With loyalties tested and danger closing in, Becky and Finn must decide who they can trust, and how far
they’re willing to go, when consequences come calling.

Gritty, emotional, and full of heart-pounding twists, Consequences delivers a powerful finale that ties
together years of betrayal, redemption, and reckoning in the Becky White series. Perfect for fans and new readers alike!

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Jo Fenton grew up in Hertfordshire, UK. She devoured books from an early age,
particularly enjoying adventure books, school stories and fantasy. She wanted to be a scientist from aged six after being given a wonderful book titled “Science Can Be Fun”.

At eleven, she discovered Agatha Christie and Georgette Heyer, and now has an eclectic and much loved book collection cluttering her home office.

Jo combines an exciting career in Clinical Research with an equally exciting but very different career as a writer of psychological thrillers.

When not working, she runs (very slowly), and chats to lots of people. She lives in Manchester with her husband and golden retriever. Her sons live nearby. She is an active and enthusiastic member of two writing groups and a reading group.

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My thoughts: Becky is dragged into a cold case she thought she’d left behind when she changed her name and moved away from her old life and police career. But someone is still after her, and she has to go back and work with former partner Finn to solve the case.

With her former boss Wendy and her new team in Will and Joanne, as well as husband Matt on her side, Becky is determined to put this to bed once and for all, but when her daughter is put in danger, the whole team swings into action.

A clever and complicated case, with far reaching consequences and requiring some soul searching for some of the team in order to find a killer and stop a conspiracy with Becky in its headlights.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.

*Terms and Conditions –UK entries welcome. Please enter using the Gleam box below. The winner will be selected at random via Gleam from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or
email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of
the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for
fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

What Judy’s book club doesn’t know about murder mysteries isn’t worth writing about. Nothing beats cracking a fictional case over some wine and salt and vinegar crisps. But can they put their puzzle-solving skills to the test when the local librarian dies in a real-life murder?

For widower Judy, her murder book club is the highlight of the month: she gets to hear all the local gossip and even discuss a good fictitious poisoning or two. But when local librarian Wendy disappears, Judy follows in the footsteps of her fictional detective heroes only to find her dead in her home, clasping a copy of Romeo and Juliet…

The police rule it a tragic accident, but Judy knows that her friend hated Shakespeare, and suspects foul play. Gathering her fellow book lovers together, soon they discover that several townspeople had motive to want Wendy dead. Was it Nigel from the tavern, who may have been Wendy’s secret boyfriend? Or could it be Bryan, the local bookshop owner, tangled in a bitter rivalry with the library?

The plot thickens at a charity murder mystery night held at Nigel’s tavern. Suddenly more murders come to light, both real and very badly staged. And when Nigel makes an astonishing revelation, the book club agree it’s a plot twist no-one saw coming. Can Judy and her book club solve the mystery before they too fall victim to a killer plot?

An utterly addictive and hilarious new cozy mystery series, perfect for fans of Richard Osman, Robert Thorogood and Faith Martin.

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Tracy started writing when her cruel, heartless husband ripped her away from her dream job – shopping for rollercoasters for the UK’s leading theme parks – to live in America with a brand new baby and no mates. In a cunning plan to avoid domestic duties and people who didn’t understand her Derbyshire accent, she wrote NO-ONE EVER HAS SEX ON A TUESDAY.
It went on to become a No 1 bestseller and publishing phenomenon. So now Tracy has a new dream job, making people laugh and sometimes cry through her writing and has had many more novels published successfully around the world. She now lives back in Derbyshire with her now wonderful husband and two children!

Maggie Allswell is a pen name.

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My thoughts: This was a fun new entry in the crimes solved by non-detectives genre (I refuse to call it cosy, crime isn’t cosy).

The Serial Killers Book Club are suspicious when their favourite librarian Wendy dies, police rule it suicide, but the messy crime scene and the copy of Romeo & Juliet make funeral director and book club member Judy suspicious.

She asks her fellow readers to help her solve the crime. Then her daughter introduces the gang to her new boyfriend – Frank. He’s a widower twice over and that sets off alarm bells all round. Could he be a killer?

The book club members are great fun, with a wide range of skills and knowledge between them – there’s even time for a bake off between two of them. And there’s a dog, which is always a bonus, as you may know I love a pet detective (usually canine or feline, although parrots are quite intelligent and might be good at crime solving, who knows?)

I look forward to the book club’s next case and seeing what they’ve been reading, I think I read a lot of the same books!

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.